What do Joshua, Paul Revere and Argentine Ants Have in Common?

In this new social internet age, can anyone doubt our powerful need to communicate a message, to be heard and to act upon that message as a group.

In biblical times, Joshua rallied the Hebrew troops with his shofar, sounding the charge and striking fear in the hearts of the soldiers of Jericho. During the American Revolution, Paul Revere road his horse to fame on a midnight ride to warn the American patriots that “The British are coming!” And you all know that argentine ants, with their acid trails and chemical receptors transmit the message to stampede any threat and devour any food source. Joshua, Paul Revere used the methods at their disposal to communicate a message with social and political consequence. No less do argentine ants join together in amazing and sometimes alarms activities started by message trails, little packets of information that get passed from one to the other like a chain email, multiplying in significance as it goes.

Can anyone doubt the power of the social network that the internet has now become? Many of us, as we tiptoe into the social network, experimenting as we go, are beginning to grasp what is happening. We know that Facebook answers questions beginning with where, such as “Where are my old friends?” Linkedin is answering questions beginning with who, as in “Who is working on similar engineering projects?” Twitter is best at what people are doing, as in “What’s going on?” No one messages like Twitterers, who have the impulsive and urgent need to get out the message of what’s happening this instant.

Even powerful Google has been shocked by the growth of the social internet. In recognition of its’ power, Google is now incorporating social messages into search results. Other companies are finding a powerful business proposition in their ability to build bridges between the increasingly complex social network components and layers.

Third world countries have been able to leapfrog more developed countries with the introduction of cell phones, avoiding the need to install phone lines. Now, countries as impoverished and politically backward as those that line the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, from Morocco and now to Iran are experiencing massive uprest and revolution, started by underlying tensions that always exist when people are repressed, but catalyzed by the internet and social networking.

Here is one video presented by Al Jazeera, captured on Youtube, about a simple merchant in Tunisia whose message has changed the world.

Try to comprehend the power of Youtube to capture the emotions of people passionately embrassing an idea.

Follow this discussion of how social media and Facebook in particular catalyzed people to overthrow the Egyptian government.

No one knows which way these countries will go after the revolts have ended, but that is another story.

The story here is that technology is changing the world of business. You don’t need to be in the technology industry to be impacted by these changes. The world of business no longer functions without the internet and social networking. It doesn’t matter if you are a giant, like Terminix or a local mom and pop pest control operation. The smartest of the large companies are using their marketing power on the social internet and the smartest, smallest companies are revving up their social media message to overtake the competition. The power to change your corporate outlook has been staring you in the face. Fear it at your own peril. Embrace it as destiny.

Here is a simple, ground level video on how social networking functions and why it is a powerful tool for businesses and individuals.

What Joshua, Paul Revere and argentine ants accomplished can now be achieved by the common man in the pursuit of extraordinary dreams.